There’s a flipside to the cloud app scheme – HP can also turn it off. Such is the case today, as the Google Maps app is simply no longer functional on all webOS devices. While this is partly a case of HP forcing an upgrade to their preferred Microsoft-sourced mapping partner, it’s also a case of Google changing things and giving HP a path to follow their heart. As we noted in our post last month about the Bing update, Google was planning to phase out support for the Maps API used by the webOS app, so without an update from HP it would have stopped working anyway. That day has come.

Regardless, if you want to use Google Maps on your Pre, Pixi, or Veer, you’re out of luck. Firing it up now returns a white screen with a message reading “Please tap here to update to the new Maps app.” Sure, you lose Google in the process, but you’re gaining Enyo.

I'm less annoyed that they got rid of the better maps app and more annoyed they still don't let you use the web version. All I want to do is change the time of a public transit trip. Or get bike instructions. Or find what I'm looking for...

I installed the ipk of maps on my Pre 3 a few weeks ago. After I did that it worked as usual but didn't fit to the Pre 3s higher screen size.

Now it has changed and seems to be the web-version. I can't pinch to zoom any more (but have buttons to do so) and it fits the screen now. Just had to email the ipk to myself and install it via preware.

And if you actually try to click that link, you're taken to a page that can't download the app. I went there this morning and the page was too big to fit on the screen and would not resize. I took screenshots. There was at least one field that you had to enter data into that I could barely see at the bottom of the screen, but I could not go anywhere from there. I guess HP didn't think they had any customers left to use this page.

The new Bing map doesn't have all the traffic data that Google had for my city, so I consider this breaking the device that I purchased. One of the main reason I decided to move up to the smartphone was for the map and traffic data. This shows me that HP doesn't know anything about customer management or cloud software. They believe they can just remove features at will. Why anyone would trust HP with anything cloud related after all this is beyond me.

The big advantage of Palm was all the integration with the cloud. But from what I see now HP doesn't understand cloud. (i.e. how do I get to my backup data if my device breaks -- there was a solution for PalmOS, but not WebOS) Their tech support says you need a Palm device to read the cloud backup.... where do I get such a palm device when none are on the market?

Google's talk of cloud is what I want as a consumer. I can get the data any time I want, via whatever device I want. I can't see at this point why I wouldn't buy into their ecosystem on the next phone purchase.

Palm used to mean great PIM to me, but that was destroyed on WebOS. WebOS would have been good if it actually did PIM well. (or at all) We never did see all the features of the Centro available in WebOS (you know the device that came out over 4 years ago). (I actually had a backup that I could control.) And none of my apps were ever deleted by Palm. I've owned Palm devices since 1999 (m100, m105, m125, E2, Centro, Pre), but this apparently was the last one.

I don't know about that. To me, PIM meant Contacts, Calendar, ToDo and Memos mostly. (Document editing and List management too) My Contacts and Calendar are synced with Google, which I can get to from any device and browser. For ToDo's I've switched to Done! and Toodledo which is in the cloud and has apps to sync with other devices. The WebOS strategy for Memos and ToDos is all but a joke. No backup I can get to from anywhere else and no security. I was banking on Palm introducing a great cloud strategy, no luck.

If you believe in HP, then I guess you have a backup, just no device to put it on.
They don't want to let you put your data on (or access it from) anything that's not an HP device. (Reminder, there's no HP devices anymore.) This is not a cloud strategy that I want anything to do with.

HP has done nothing to make me believe in HP. I wouldn't be surprised if they announced the backups were discontinued. They haven't done right by anything else. What's one more promise to break?

I can't stand not having a plan of where to go from here for my 15 years worth of memos. So that's not better PIM in my mind.

I'm having the same problem mentioned here on my OG Pre. At first, I thought it happened because I tried to use the patch to keep Google Maps and didn't do something correctly... But now I've uninstalled that and keep getting the same tiny webpage that is described here. Is it something with the Pre- or what? I also can't install things through the app catalog right now because of a "hang" during the install of some app... ARRRRRGH!!! No maps right now su(ks!!

You can email the old ipk onto your device and (at least I can do it on my german Pre 3) use a web-Version of Google Maps. It's not as good as the old Maps (see above) but still much better than accessing the Website.

I got this message two days ago on my Pre when I opened it hoping to see how far I was from my friends' place. Forgot about it until this article popped up. And I'm with epelic a few lines up. I've got to go someplace else for a phone in a few months, not my original choice either, since HP sucked up Palm and spit it out. What I've learned about HP through all this is that when HP sucks, they really suck. Except for maybe Bryna. She has a thankless job, but she's only the messenger.

Well, as I was given no choice but to "upgrade",
I could not update on my phone, because the screen was too small.
Then I spent an hour online trying to figure out how to do it.
After that, I installed the new map app, which does not work most of the time. When it does work, it freezes, or cannot find anything, or has some other ridiculous bug I wonder why it was ever put out.
And I cannot use the new maps with my web browser; it still goes to google maps.
And my carrier states that since it's Palm's issue I can buy a new phone, or I'm out of luck.
I guess my new phone will NEVER be an HP phone.

By the way, I read the reviews. I'm wondering how it's rated nearly five stars when only two reviewers rated it more that three stars. Makes me wonder.

No moving around but better than no google maps at all. In nexave forum there are IPKs that give you back a googlemaps app with movable map and new Interface.
You have to change the URL in assistant.js of the newley installed IPK

Ok. I figured it out with the help of google translate. This method will bring up the mobile google maps page and will allow you to move around in the map. However, it will not allow you to scroll through the sections that look more like a webpage (ie. if you search pizza and it shows you a list of pizza places). In these sections, instead of scrolling in the page it just highlights everything. Not a good enough fix in my eyes but thanks for the heads up anyway...

You know what would be helpful too? Something to prevent the website from zooming in when you click on a text field. It is not necessary (it's only a little bit of zoom) and makes the site harder to use.

Maybe I just don't use maps like the rest of you but my "Bing" maps app works just fine and better than google maps ever did. GM would very often not load saying that it needs an internet connection when I had full 3G coverage on my Pre- and it never (but maybe once) worked on my wifes pixi- now the "maps" app works every time on hers and my Sprint WebOS devices that are both over 2 years old!

I sure don't like how HP has screwed up webOS but in this case the map does work better for our two Sprint phones!

If you use it almost 100% for public transit, it's unacceptable. It does not give arrival and departure times for the transit. You have no idea when something is coming -- 5 mins, 2 hours... whatever. It is 100% useless except to know what transit goes to a place. The craziest thing? The web version provides the times.

If you look up a bus at 1:00a, is the next one at 1:30a or 5:00a? When you're making a connection, is it 10 mins between the two buses or did you just miss one an it's an hour? Or is the connection ridiculously short and not doable?

Boy....this irks me to no end. I use Google Maps all the time to check traffic when heading home for the day. I also use Latitude quite frequently! Now that I'm being forced to download Bing maps, I'm losing out to two of my most used features.

I have a Sprint FrankenPre 2 that I love, but this is almost enough to make me switch. Unfortunately, I'm a big fan of the portrait slider keyboards, and there are virtually no options out there. HP has absolutely NO CONCERN for their consumers. >:(

This is absurd that one of the most basic features on the phone just stopped working... is there a more detailed instruction on how to get maps up and running again on a Palm Pre Plus. I've seen people alude to ipk's and things, but nothing detailed enough to follow. I do have preware on my phone.

the link is totally useless at getting any maps going as is. I would really like to keep using my palm, but this is one of the basic features i use... if i can't get it going, the palm is gone for good. :(

Unreal. I wasted 3 hours this past weekend re-doctoring my Pre to get Google Maps back after Bing maps wiped it (stupid first-adopter-me) so I could use Latitude again. And then this. Wow, HP, you REALLY don't get your customers at all. How will I EVER survive without buying a laptop, desktop, or printer made by HP. :-p And, BTW, Google only charges for the API's when a single source uses over a large amount of use.

What the heck HP? I bought a Pixi a few months ago and was really enjoying the WebOS experience. I could keep track of my family with Latitude (my adult daughter is disabled from a stroke) and then you pull the rug out from underneath me. You seem intent on running things without vision or visionaries and destroying loyalty in the process. David Wheeler - Loveland, Colorado

As far as I assumed, the issue with the 'upgrade' link from the Google Maps was because it was trying to load a static Web page in a non-browser (or something like that). Regardless, I thought it was pretty shabby of HP to pull this on us without warning.

Yes: Derek & P|C told us the API would go away someday ... but, clearly it hasn't yet as BFG and Trapster still happily use the Google mapping API (for now at least).

I literally had about 5 minutes to check a location before I had to drive. It went like this:

1) The force to Bing goes completely against my choice to NEVER have any Micro$oft software on any system that i have.
2) Because of the 'force' when I clicked the link to install the update, the resulting page was so small that I could not read what was displayed, EVEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS. I think, but could not be sure that it was asking for a click to agree to some Ts&Cs, but again because of the size, AND BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT ZOOM VIA A PINCH GESTURE, I COULD NOT READ IT; COULD NOT CLICK WHERE I THOUGHT THE CHECK BOX WAS LOCATED;... TOTALLY WORTHLESS!
3) I finally went to the Ap Catalog, searched on 'Maps' and found the update that did not require agreeing to any Ts&Cs.
4) Although the blasted thing did install, it is clearly not as good as the Google Maps Ap.

So, as soon as I can, I will replace not only my Pre Plus, but also all of my HP printers so I do not even have to purchase any HP supplies.

ATTN HP: YOU HAVE NOW SUCCESSFULLY DRIVEN ME AWAY AFTER A LONG TIME OF USING YOUR PRODUCTS. AND, AS AN ASIDE, I WAS LOOKING FOR A LAPTOP FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER THAT WILL NOW, FOR SURE, NOT BE AN HP.

maps.google.com in my Pre web browser brings up the Bing maps app. This has to be considered hijacking and I believe should be illegal.

IANAL and I don't play one one the 'Net, but I certainly will be looking into this.

I did not agree to having this app loaded on my Pre. A Sprint service rep at a Sprint store put in my number and found the link to press when I was trying to find out what that un-resizeable, unreadable app upgrade web page said.

This latest comedy sitcom brought to you by the genius' at HP featuring "Tap here to update to the new maps app" is the final nail in the Palm Pre coffin. It's too bad, I really liked WebOs...but my primary reason for getting the Pre in the 1st place was for the free Hotspot, which we have to have. Now we'll have to pay for it, I guess...Iphone 4S, here we come!

So as uhezay suggested i go to app catalog but there's no bing map apps there... i can't help but think this is the stuff that class action lawsuits are made of. You buy a phone, one of it's basic functions is google maps, there's no fine print or anyone telling you that it'll just stop working one day... then one day, POOF! Your phone is no longer the phone you bought. A free app that came on it like the piles of other free apps, just stop working. I mean i've been willing to deal with the fact that the alarm app sucks and auto deletes your alarms from time to time, but it still technically HAS a functional alarm.

As it stands i'm personally shocked that this software stopped working. That they would actually have a right to legally shut down functionality on the phone is just wild. Okay, so if you're in the industry and you understand how all this stuff works, i sounds like some people new it might happen one day. But consider the average user and consumer... if you want to sell them something which will have time limited functionality you MUST inform them and usually it involves stupid check boxes that you acknowledge you're going to have to pay to upgrade or something... anything!... still no maps on my phone. This blows soooo hard.

I am thankful for the helpful users we have here. I too was confronted with the screen which was too small to even come close to reading even with reading glasses and could not be resized. This tells me that no one at HP tested it even once. Installing it from the catalog worked - but wouldn't you think it would have appeared in Software Manager as an update? It didn't. And hijacking when I type maps.google.com into a browser window is just plain evil (I think it has always done this, but before it was at least hijacking to a Google app, which is only half as evil).

The whole episode is a big middle finger from HP to any remaining customers.

I agree completely with all of this, lordbah! This is not an upgrade, it is even worse than a downgrade. At least let me access maps.google.com on my browser...it has functions I need that Bing doesn't!

I was stuck in the ridiculous loop of "Click here to get the new maps app.... " nightmare as well when I upgraded from a Pre with WebOS 1.x to a Pre 2 with WebOS 2.1.0. Since I had already been forced to switch to Bing Maps on the old Pre, when my saved profile was downloaded, it included a jacked up version of Bing Maps, and then NEITHER VERSION worked, nor could I re-download. SOLUTION IN THIS ORDER (maybe starting at Step 7 would have worked too, but I had no hope in vendor-provided solutions considering they CAUSED this problem in the first place): 1) Had to resort to developer mode (search this site for steps), 2) had to use WebOS installer on my Windows 7 laptop to install HomeBrew JS Service (AND NOTHING MORE). 3) Had to find and download the latest FileMgr Service on webosnation using my phone, NOT using WebOS installer nor Preware since all they resulted in were error messages. 4) Had to find and download the latest Internalz Pro on webosnation using my PHONE, not WebOS Installer nor Preware. 5) FINALLY ran InternalzPro in MASTER mode and deleted the map app folders from /usr/palm/applications: com.palm.app.maps and com.palm.app.maps-rebooter . This at least removed the lying Google Maps icon from my main screen. 6) RESTARTED the phone, but STILL could not download HP Maps from the catalog. 7) Resorted to downloading (to my PC) and running WebOS Doctor (http://www.webos-internals.org/wiki/WebOS_Doctor_Versions#Verizon_Wireless). This will tie up your phone for about an hour, so do it late at night. :-) When the phone finally came back up, it determined that my HP Maps was jacked up, and FINALLY permitted me to download it again. NOW, everything appears to be working (except that I have no more google maps of course). What a PITA!! I miss Google Maps, but not enough to switch Smartphones. I love this phone and refuse to carry around the brick-sized alternatives which don't even fit in my purse/clutch--so if it's a must, HP Maps for me please. (Although it's not google maps, another web-based option that is bearable is m.yahoo.com/local . Open it, Menu > Page > Add to Launcher for quick access). Good luck to anyone else that reads this post.